Diet composition and feeding habit of Glossogobius sparsipapillus caught from estuarine regions in the Mekong Delta

Glossogobius sparsipapillus is a potential candidate for aquaculture in the Mekong Delta, but information on its food and feeding habit is still fragmented and deficient. This study, therefore, aims to contribute diet and feeding ecology to this fish based on 661 specimens (331 males and 330 females) caught in estuarine areas from December 2019 to November 2020. Data analysis showed that fish diet composition comprised five categories such as Acetes spp., small fish, Polychaeta, Uca spp., and others (e.g., fish scales and detritus). This goby is a generalist feeder, feeding preliminarily on Acetes spp. but rarely on Polychaeta. Feeding intensity is high and does not change with sexes but varies according to fish sizes, seasons, and sites. Moreover, a similar meal size was observed in different sexes, fish sizes, seasons, and sites. The findings supply the fundamental knowledge on the food and feeding of this species, being used for artificially cultivating study.